CaspianReport

Throughout history Greece's rugged geography has given the advantage to the Greeks when defending their homelands against invaders. While the mountainous terrain has its military advantages, it also comes with economic disadvantages. It makes a unified Greece difficult as the central government struggles for authority. The lack of arable land combined with the lack of land trading routes, has forced Athens to rely on the Mediterranean Sea for trade. As a country with some 6.000 islands, Greece needs to upkeep an advanced military force to defend its very core - the Aegean Sea. The sea allows for the Greek islands and cities to communicate, trade and defend themselves. Greece simply has to do whatever it takes to defend its core. Thats why the country also need to control over the islands of Corfu, Crete and Rhodes to prevent invasions from the sea.

The PKK was born as a reaction to the authotarian and racist policies of the Turkish republic in the early 1980s, Since then around 40.000 people have died. However the Turkey of today is so much different from the Turkey of the 1980s. Modern Turkey is an emerging powerhouse, one that has the potential to become a regional power. With this in mind Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party has for several years been working to neutralize the military's political influence, quell the Kurdish insurgency and to expand the party's political support. Whats interesting here is that these three goals are interconnected. By engaging in political negotiations with the PKK, the government was able to undermine the military's force-based approach to the conflict and thereby diminish the military's overall influence in Turkish politics.

After a nearly three-year standstill, Israeli Prime Minister apologized in a phone call to the Turkish Prime Minister for the Israeli raid on a Turkish vessel, that left 9 people dead. The Israeli side also agreed to provide compensation and lift some of the restrictions on the entry of civilian good into Gaza, as long as stability remained. Off course the US president played a major role in the reconciliation but the question now is what are the reasons behind it? And how will Turkish Israeli relations further develop?

North Korea has a long history of empty threats but also a history of action. The new leader Kim Jong Un is only 30 years old, and there are doubts about his ability to lead both inside and outside the country. Kim Jong Un needs to demonstrate his authority by orchestrating an international crisis, with South Korea and the United States, to restart the negotiations and then finally walk away with new political benefits. This strategy has its limits and although they seem unpredictable - Pyongyang has been very careful not to step out of line. But what if North Korea became desperate and a war broke actually broke out?

As the fictional Game of Thrones launches its third season a different game of intrigue is unfolding in Saudi Arabia. In this report we take a look at the history of the Saudi dynasty and its key pillars. We ask important questions, who will be the third in line once King Abdullah passes away? As the second generation princes, who have ruled the country for most of its 80 year history, are now few in numbers, its likely that a third generation prince will enter the game of thrones. A critical evolution in the House of Saud. This new chance will further divide the ongoing divisions rivalries in the Saudi dynasty. It will also put uncertainty on a key pillar, unity among the leadership

Both Koreas started out or more or less equal grounds. Both the countries were devastated, the South had a larger workforce but the North had more natural resources and industries. And for the first couple decades the North Korean economy actually performed better than the South Korean economy. So what changed all this? And why did North Korea become such a poor country? Most people will tell you that North Korea is poor because the sanctions are working. Or that it has to do with the fact that the country is communist. In this report we take a closer look at the history of North Korea's economy.

South Korean satellites picked up mobile missile systems being moved to the east coast of North Korea. The missiles in question are medium and long range ballistic missile systems. But it's not certain whaich missiles they are. It could be the KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missiles also known as Hwasong-13 or it could be Musudan intermediate range ballistic missiles. This kind of mobile missile systems are really meant for surprise attacks, something that stationary launch sites cannot do. Mobile system are harder to locate and once launched its harder to calculate the launch time, the missiles trajectory and direction. So the US will have to deploy significant missile defense systems in order to cover for the potential targets.

The ongoing conflict in Northern Mali is rooted in the country's geography and its history. The Niger River forms the backbone of the country and it essentially splits the country in two. The arid North, also known as Azawad, is home to the nomadic Tuareg people who share ethnic ties the Berber people. The South is a relative fertile region and is home to the Mandee people, a cultural group of people that populate the West African region. Both ethnic peoples form the core of Mali's history but both played a completely different role

Generational change has been postponed again in Saudi Arabia, and the appointment of Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz to the position of second deputy prime minister behind Crown Prince Salman has postponed the generational change in Saudi Arabia. The inner circle of princes that has run the kingdom for half a century will retain power and although the Saudi kingdom's succession process is clear for the foreseeable future, the real challenge and the possible succession crisis has only been delayed for a few years.A failure to solve this issue before the death of King Abdullah could very well start a inner crisis in the Saudi Dynasty

Tensions are high in the Korean Peninsula but does North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong Un, really want to start a war? As Robert McNamara, former United States Secretary of Defense put it "empathize with your enemy." How can North Korea back down on its threats and still "save face?" In this report we focus on the escalation from Pyongyang's perspective. Whats the North Korean grand strategy? And what does Kim Jong Un hope to accomplish by making threats?

In the 18th century Europe's influence was growing. This was most notable in the Islamic world. As a response to this, many new Islamic scholars, activists and ideologist attempted to reform their societies and nations so they could prevent the growing presence of Europe. One of those reformists was Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani, his ideas preached of a modern state guided by Islamic principles. Although he was unsuccessful, his work strongly influenced the minds of thousands of activists, and one of those peoples was Hassan al-Banna, who would later on lay the foundation of the Muslim brotherhood. In this report we take a look at the Muslim Brotherhood and its origins. How did this group expand throughout the region and what are its core principles? Are they attempting a world conquest or are they democratic?

Ever since two Chechen brothers were implicated in the Boston bombings, people have been going through history books to see what is distinctive about Islam in the Caucasus. To understand Chechens you must first understand where they come from, the Caucasus and its mountains. In the same way that the Atlantic ocean influenced the British and the Frontier formed the Americans, the Caucasus mountains developed the Caucasian peoples. In this report we talk about the history of the North Caucasus and the role Chechens played in it. Chechen history is a story of violance, genocide and persecution, mixed with determination and faith.

In this book review we explore Wired For War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century, a best-selling book by Peter W. Singer. The book explains the influence of science fiction on the modern day battlefields. There is a lot of background information on the history of robotics and how it developed throughout the decades. The author obviously did a lot of research, and it shows. There are dozens of interviews with notable figures such as scientists, insurgents, politicians, etc, who are considered specialists in their respective fields. In this report we take a look at how Singer's work gives us insight on the future of warfare

For more than two years a brutal civil war has decimated the state of Syria. Clashes between government and rebel forces have taken place in towns and cities across the country, and neither parties have shown any signs of backing down. So far Europe and the United States have stayed out of the conflict, but now even that is in question. In the recent weeks things have changed and there are growing concerns that al-Assad may have used chemical weapons and this brings us to the question, should the US intervene in Syria, what are the arguments support it and what are the arguments to abandon this strategy

Despite what most people think, terrorism is not really about mass murder. The primary goal of a terrorist attack is to strike fear and panic in the heart and minds of oridinary civilians. It's all about the psychological impact rather the physical damage. In this report we look at the reality of terrorist organizations and how sophisticated they really are. Furthmore we discuss how media exposure contributes to fearmongering.

With fast- growing industries, India’s economy ranks among the top in the world. Its population, numbering around 1.2 billion, is still growing. In this analysis, we will take a peek at the domestic and foreign policy of India.

The protests in Turkey, that initially started as a peaceful environmentalist demonstration, has now spread into anti-government protests across the country. In this report we explore the underlying reasons why so many people are upset with the government. And how many unrelated minor issues have unified various opposition groups under an umbrella movement

Sometimes the fall of one empire has unintended consequences and gives rise to another empire. In this report we look at how the Napoleonic Wars and the collapse of the French Empire laid the seeds for the German unification and gave rise to the British Empire. But we also look at how the British lost power and how the United States replaced the British Empire

Heart of Darkness is a short novel by Joseph Conrad. In facts it is so short you could finish reading it in just a few hours. But dont take the shortness for simplicity. This is a real meaningful novel that describes the European colonization and exploitation of Africa in late 19th century

Egypt's security forces are still clashing with Muslim Brotherhood supporters as we speak. And aside the military coup, and the detention of Muhammed Morsi, the top figures of the Brotherhood have also been taken into custody. And they will probably be charged with inciting violance during the mass demonstrations in Cairo. But aside all these recent developments several pro-Brotherhood institutions have been shut down, the Islamist dominated Shura Council has been dissolved too, so there a systematic crackdown on the organization, and the question remains what is next not just for the Muslim Brotherhood and the opposition forces but, what is next for Egypt in general?

Prominent US and European officials are accusing the Syrian President Al-Assad of using chemical weapons against a civilian population. And with this in mind the American President is on the verge to take military action against Syria. So how would such a scenario play out and what kind of repercussions and blowback effects should we take into consideration?

While in London, US secretary of state, John Kerry made a rhetoric suggestion that the only way for Syria to avoid a US attack would be for it to place all its chemical weapons under international supervision within a week. This was immediately followed by the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who promised to start working with Damascus to realize this idea. So right now, the Russian proposal is welcomed by Syria, Germany, the UK, and even the US is onboard. It seems like a great catastrophe has been averted and its all thanks to the ingenious Russians. Although this might be a genuine exit strategy for the US, the practicality of this proposal is much more complex.

For months now Russia has been the main defender of Al-Assad. The country has put its international reputation at stake, and all this for Syria. So what drives Russia to confront the US. Why does Moscow care about Syria or Al-Assad? Well the truth is they really dont. Russia has no particular interests for Syria, and they dont care much for Al Assad either. The Russian naval facility in Syria and the weapons exports are only symbolic interests. In this report we explain how Putin's interests in Syria are indirectly related to Russia's backyard project - the Eurasian Union

Before the demonstrations in Syria escalated into a civil war, the geopolitics was simple. And Turkey's interests were simply, prevent Iran's sphere of influence expanding into Syria, and thereby getting a direct access to the Mediterranean Sea. Now, after years of full scale warfare, the civil war is being overshadowed by a proxy war. And things get more complicated with a proxy war. Its not just about weakening Iran anymore, but the interests of Turkey now, also include preventing Kurdish separatism and the rise of Sunni jihadism

Since the 1st century BC, the Romans and Parthians had waged a number of wars that lasted for the centuries. In fact these military campaigns outlasted the empires themselves. Both the Roman and Parthian Empires reformed and were replaced by the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires, respectively. These two new superpowers continued their territorial disputes and military confrontations for centuries.

More than 4.000 civilians have been killed in Iraq this year alone. This is the highest death toll since the end of the civil war in 2007. But unlike the previous attacks, which targeted governmental institutions, these new series of attacks primarily target civilians. Equally important is the fact that most of these attacks were conducted by al-Qaeda, who's strategy it is to plunge Iraq back into a Sunni-Shia civil war, and amidst the anarchy and disunity, rise as the dominant faction. Just like what happened with the rise of jihadists in the Syrian civil war.

The Saudi interests in the Syrian civil war is to push Iran's influence out of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq altogether. Saudi Iranian relations have been tense ever since Iran's Islamic revoultion in 1979. But the relations took a turn for the worse, with Iran's role in the US-Iraq war in 2003. By disassembling the Iraqi army and Saddam's Ba'ath party, the US created a power vacuum in Iraq which was quickly filled by pro-Iranian figures. And for the first time in a long time, a pro-Shiite state now bordered the Saudi Kingdom. This made the Saudis very anxious, because they too have a sizable Shiite communities, and they feel that this rise of Shiasm, could very well spread to their own country (especially in the oil rich gulf region). This is something Riyadh cannot tolerate.